Contemporary agricultural production is conducted while being exposed to global natural and anthropogenic challenges. Climate changes, environmental pollution with ecotoxicants, emergence of large arid areas, substrate salinization, and water shortage result in a reduction in the agricultural planting footprint, lower plant tolerance to adverse environmental factors, and the emergence of new populations of pathogenic microorganisms and cultural plant pests along with their rising aggressiveness. All of the above factors result in decreased agricultural yields, lower-quality produce, seed with short shelf life and low germination, and price increases in consumer markets.
To improve adaptability of plants to adverse factors in storage, to obtain full-value and healthy sprouts and good plant development, and to increase seed productivity and quality in subsequent generations, a new agrobiological nanotechnology has been developed that features a composition with properties, such as lability and mobility, that can be modified based on predictions to ensure steady seed production and plant growth and to improve the agricultural industry in general.
Heretofore, methods and compositions have been known in the art for treating seeds to improve productivity of high crops, tolerance to changes in weather conditions, resistance to pathogenic microorganisms and cultural plant pests, etc.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,883 issued on May 8, 2001 to J. Riggs discloses a method for combating plant fungi, which consists of applying to the seeds or tubers of the plant a fungicidal composition comprising a fungicidally effective amount of a 2-alkoxyiminoacetamide compound, optionally in admixture with one or both of an alkylene bis-dithiocarbamate complex salt and a thiophanate compound. Also described are compositions comprising a fungicidally effective amount of a 2-alkoxyiminoacetamide compound, an alkylene bis-dithiocarbamate complex salt, and a thiophanate compound.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,730,312 issued on May 4, 2004 to F. Schneidersmann, et al, provides a quaternary composition for controlling microorganisms and insects or representatives of the order Acarina. The composition comprises (A) an insecticidally effective amount of at least one neonicotinoid or phenylpyrazole insecticide, and (B) a fungicidally effective amount of at least three fungicides including (B1) at least one phenylamide (acylalanine type), (B2) at least one phenylpyrrole, and (B3) at least one triazole.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20040063582 published on Apr. 1, 2004 (W. Johnson, inventor) discloses a seed treatment composition containing plant macronutrients, micronutrients, a pest inhibitor, and at least one growth regulator. The composition additionally contains a vitamin component, an amino acid component, a penetrant, and an energy source. The treatment material contains macronutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, humic acid, a pest inhibitor, a mold inhibitor, an absorbant, a penetrant and growth regulators. A method of forming the composition consists of forming the initial mixture comprising water, micronutrients, and a chelating agent. The initial mixture is then converted into a second mixture by adding starch, phosphate, potassium, seaweed extract, ammonium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, a vitamin/cofactor component, and a penetrant. The chelating agent comprises humic acid.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,903,093 issued on Jun. 7, 2005 to J. Asrar, et al, discloses a method of preventing damage to the seed, shoot, and foliage of a plant by a pest. The method comprises treating the seed from which the plant grows with a composition that includes a combination of thiamethoxam and at least one pyrethrin or synthetic pyrethroid which is selected from the group consisting of taufluvalinate, flumethrin, trans-cyfluthrin, kadethrin, bioresmethrin, tetramethrin, phenothrin, empenthrin, cyphenothrin, prallethrin, imiprothrin, allethrin, and bioallethrin. The treatment is applied to the unsown seed. In another embodiment, the seed is a transgenic seed having at least one heterologous gene encoding for the expression of a protein having pesticidal activity against a first pest, and the composition has activity against at least a second pest. Treated seeds are also provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,081,436 issued on Jul. 25, 2006 to J. Sun discloses a composition comprising a seed treatment formulation and an organosilicone additive of the formula:
wherein X is a number from 0 to 30; Y is a number from 0 to 10; each R1 and R2 is independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl moieties from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, provided that if Y is 0, at least one R2 is Z; Z is R3OBnG; R3 is an alkylene moiety from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; B is an alkylene oxide moiety selected from the group consisting of ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide, and mixtures thereof; n is a number from 1 to 50 if and only if B contains ethylene oxide; otherwise, n is a number from 1 to 10; and G is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydrocarbon moieties from 1 to 18 carbon atoms, and acetyl.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,307,043 issued on Dec. 11, 2007 to C. Schlatter, et al, discloses an aqueous composition suitable for applying insecticides or acaricides to plant propagation materials comprising water, an insecticidally or acaricidally effective amount of at least one nitroimino- or nitroguanidino-compound in free form or in an agrochemically useful salt form and a blend of the following components by weight: a) 2 to 10% of a surface-active agent comprising at least one anionic surfactant; b) 4 to 20% of at least one inorganic solid carrier; and c) 3 to 25% of at least one antifreeze agent. In one embodiment, the aqueous composition further comprises a fungicidally effective amount of at least one fungicidally active compound.
However, the compositions and methods described above are insufficient when considering harshly changing environmental exposures and the fact that subsequent seed generations do not always meet the required planting seed preservation criteria and demonstrate poor field-germination performance.